Refugees in PNG suffer from 'untreated' injuries five years after Manus Island riots

Refugees who were seriously hurt in the deadly Manus Island riots of 2014 are still suffering complications from their injuries - including some that remain untreated - according to case notes compiled by charities and advocates.

The Australian Council for International Development provided the list of 21 critical cases as Labor prepared to compromise on a "medivac" bill that would give doctors greater power to transfer sick refugees to Australia for treatment, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten calling for changes to tighten ministerial discretion.

An Iranian refugee hospitalised in Port Moresby.

Mr Shorten received briefings from the Home Affairs Department and others on Monday, before shadow cabinet met to finalise Labor's position. Labor supported the bill in the Senate late last year, but it has not yet passed the lower house.

According to a case summary released by the ACFID, one seriously ill man currently hospitalised in Port Moresby had his throat cut in the riot that took place five years ago this week. The treatment was "not successful" and he has now developed untreated psoriasis.

One man who was "not treated", according to the notes, "has been told that he can’t have surgery on his foot and that he should prepare for a life of disability or perhaps they will recommend to remove his foot".

Doctors met at Parliament House on Monday to urge Labor to back the bill allowing easier medical transfers.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Another man suffers from "untreated injuries from 2014, which has left him with the impact of an untreated fractured jaw". The men are awaiting legal representation to argue their case for a transfer to Australia.

Several men on the list were described as having untreated Helicobacter pylori, a stomach infection that can cause ulcers and cancer. Others had "untreated eye, ear, nose and throat conditions", or required surgery that was not available in Papua New Guinea.

All the men were said to be mentally ill, with many suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and showing suicidal tendencies. The case summary was compiled by lawyers and advocates, including people who have seen the men as recently as last week.

The Department of Home Affairs did not respond to questions directly but referred to an earlier statement that said medical transfers were assessed on a case-by-case basis and "no one is denied health care".

Several of the men received visits from one of PNG's most senior Catholics, Father Giorgio Licini, the general-secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and the Solomon Islands. In a statement, Fr Licini said the men should be given "immediate access to the [Australian] mainland for proper medical attention" and found a permanent safe haven.

"Six years of uncertainty and deprivation of freedom is too much, and must end here," he said. "The offshore processing policy established by the Kevin Rudd government in 2013 has now become untenable and even absurd."

ACFID chief executive Marc Purcell said the rate of medical transfers to Australia from PNG had been "very minimal" and was "much, much more difficult" than in Nauru, partly due to complexities of the PNG legal system.

Some refugees have been transferred to Taiwan for treatment, under an agreement entered into in September, 2017, though Mr Purcell said "that has complications because they don’t have any interpreters".

The bill before the Australian Parliament contains amendments from independents which would compel the minister to transfer a refugee to Australia on the advice of two doctors.

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The minister could dispute the doctors' decision and the case would go to a medical panel appointed by the government. The minister could still overrule the panel on security grounds. Any refugees transferred to Australia would remain under the control of the Immigration Department.

The government argues the proposal would dismantle offshore processing and restart the boats. It also warned it would likely need to re-open the Christmas Island detention centre to accommodate the influx.

Labor backed the bill late last year but has since faced a concerted political attack from the Coalition on border protection. Prime Minister Scott Morrison used a major address on Monday to lay down the gauntlet and insist he was not prepared to compromise.

Mr Shorten now wants changes to the bill to bolster ministerial discretion and limit the effects to the cohort of refugees currently on Manus Island and Nauru.

Earlier on Monday, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen - a former immigration minister - said Labor would take a "responsible approach" to the matter.

"We want to see sick people dealt with appropriately. We've also said we want ministerial discretion to be the final arbiter on this," he said.

Mr Bowen pledged a Shorten government "will not see the people smuggling trade restarted", which sometimes meant making decisions that were "controversial in some parts", including "things Labor voters don't agree with", such as turn-backs.